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Earth (Rifts)
The Earth is a planet in the fictional universe of the Rifts pencil-and-paper roleplaying game by Palladium. Background Earth is a post-apocalyptic dystopian world, which has been invaded or infiltrated by extra-terrestrial beings, demons, extra-dimensional beings, gods, and alien intelligences. It's a world that in the early 21st century experienced the cataclysmic return of magic, resulting in the death of billions and the annihilation of most of human civilization. The geography of the Earth itself was reshaped. It was followed by a dark age that lasted centuries during which several alien invasions and demon plagues hit the world. Today on Earth, a third of mankind uses or accepts magic and psionic abilities, and have accepted the aliens among them. A third of mankind is now living in primitive barbarism. Another third of mankind has rejected magic and sometimes psionic abilities, fear those whom are not human, and destroy that which they don't understand. Throughout the world are human and alien empires and city-states, most of which are a shadow of the empires of mankind's past, in territory and population. Dozens of malevolent and sadistic alien intelligences have established strongholds on Earth, the three greatest with dominions spanning 1000s of sq miles. Demons have carved out their own empires on Earth, the greatest being that of the Yama Kings whom have divided among themselves most of historical China, east of Tibet and south of Mongolia. In Europe, the Gargoyles a lesser race of demons have conquered much of mainland Europe, west of Germany and the Brodkils a lower race of demons have allied with the cybernetic Mindwerks corporation and conquered Poland. Naut'Yll invaders from another dimension have established a growing undersea empire in the southern Atlantic Ocean. The Horune another extra-dimensional race, plague the seas of Earth as pirates. North America is threatened by another extra-dimensional race, the Xiticix, insectoids who found themselves transported to Earth and have been rapidly expanding their domain. The greatest power on Earth though is Atlantis, the island-continent which has returned to Earth after several millennia. Ruled by a Lord Splynncryth, a young and ambitious Splugorth. Hidden under China is the vast subterranean civilization of Geofront, descended from the People's Republic of China. Based in Germany is the New German Republic, bastion of humanity in Europe which has established its dominance over Central Europe. In what used to be Russia are feudal human kingdoms ruled by warlords known as Sovietski. Over in South America, are several human states of varying sizes, most of them in what used to be Argentina. In North America is the fascist and genocidal Coalition States which is the greatest power in what used to be the continental United States, and further north is the isolationist Republic of Quebec. The Indian subcontinent is ruled by gods of good and evil, with the mortals used as their soldiers and pawns. Over in South America, the Incan gods have returned and established the Empire of the Sun in the Andes region. A rogue artificial intelligence (ARCHIE) has established an empire of machines along the American East Coast. Over in England, Zazshan an alien intelligence (a Zllphyan) secretly rules the Kingdom of Camelot. Another alien intelligence, Inix a Soul Worm has established himself in South America. In the western Pacific is the growing domain of the Lord of the Deep. In the lands of what used to be Egypt is the Phoenix Empire, the domain of a tyrannical dragon. Vying for control of Japan are demons and goblings in the mountains, and human city-states. Down in Australia, there are two human kingdoms. In what used to be the American Midwest is the Federation of Magic, consisting of city states ruled by magic users. In the Pacific Ocean is a time displaced American fleet, which now calls itself the New Navy. Sharing those same waters and also present in the Indian Ocean are the floating cities of the Lemurians, mutated humans from the time of ancient Atlantis. Within the Pacific Ocean is the submerged city of Tritonia and sentient populations of cetaceans. The Arkons, the descendants of an interstellar empire's fleet, have established a dominion in South America. In what used to Mexico are the kingdoms of many Vampire Intelligences, with one of them establishing a kingdom in South America and another a great undersea empire in the western part of the Indian Ocean. In addition there are many smaller human, mutant, and alien kingdoms, statelets, city-states, and chiefdoms scattered across the world. Among the human regimes, those that accept magic users, humans with psionic abilities, extra-terrestrials, and beings from other dimensions are Geofront in China, the city-states in Japan, the Sovietski warlords of Russia, the Lemurians of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and the Federation of Magic. The New German Republic accepts humans with psionic abilities but distrusts magic and has expelled most aliens with the small remaining minority used as a border buffer in an apartheid regime. The New Navy distrusts the supernatural and aliens but doesn't actively hunt them, only taking action against those which oppress or slaughter humans. Free Quebec is xenophobic toward magic, aliens, and psionics but its isolationist. The Australian city-states likewise distrust aliens and magic. The Coalition States is outright genocidal when it comes to aliens and those that use magic, and enslaves or exterminates those with psionic powers. The most powerful human military forces are those of Geofront, the Coalition States, the New German Republic, and the New Navy. Gallery Earth_(Palladium).jpg|Earth from orbit (Ley Lines) Splugorth_3_(Palladium).jpg|Splugorth Splugorth Slaver Barge (Palladium).jpg|Splugorth Slave Barge Vampire_Kingdom_(Palladium).jpg|Vampire Kingdom (Mexico) Atlantis_2_(Palladium).jpg|Atlantis Chi-Town,_formerly_Chicago_(Palladium).jpg|Chi-Town of Coalition States (formerly Chicago) Federation_of_Magic_(Palladium).jpg|Federation of Magic Rift_(Pinnacle_Entertainment).jpg|Interdimensional Rift Category:Roleplaying Games (Mythos-Influenced) Category:Mythos-Influenced Works Category:Locations (Mythos-Influenced) Category:Rifts (Mythos-Influenced)